Is There a Place for Pantheism in (Post-)Christian Ecofeminist Reconstruction of the God/Goddess–World Relationship

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

It is not clear--either in the abstract or the introduction, or, for that matter, up until about p. 9--what the issue is and what your are going to try to demonstrate.  It would be helpful if you clarified what panentheism is prior to p. 9 (not every reader of the paper will know what that is, particularly in an ecofeminist theological context) and how you want to argue (eventually) that some sort of pantheism (whether it be Wicca's or Jatzen's or Rubenstein's) is a better understanding of the divine in ecofeminist theology.  Giving a clear "road map" of your argument in the introduction would help.

There are a number of misspellings throughout the paper.  I do not know whether these are typographical errors or not.  The sentence at lines 361-363 is confused.  Also, there are a few formatting problems.  Extended quotes--which are indented--should not have quotation marks.  New paragraphs are not always indented on the first line (line 59, 407, 423) (and I do not know whether those are typographical errors or the author not realizing they have started a new paragraph).

Author Response

Thank you for all the comments and suggestions for improvement on this article. I consider all comments to be accurate and very helpful in improving the article. I have tried to follow and implement all the suggestions and I hope that I have succeeded and that the quality of the article is now better.

I have improved, rewritten and shortened the Abstract (5 – 26) and defined more clearly the main purpose of the paper, the main research question of the paper and the methods and approaches.
I also completely rewrote the  Introduction (27 – 125) and Conclusion (570 – 639).
I have also clarified what pantheisem is or how it is understood in the paper. (in the Introduction)
I also corrected spelling and english typos and corrected the sentence in lines 361-363.
I also corrected formatting problems – extended quotes (no quotation marks).
Corrected new paragraphs (line 59, 407, 423)

Thank you for your expertise and suggestions. I have added all corrections to the article in the attachment.

Best regards,
Author

Reviewer 2 Report

The abstract is redundant and feels out of control. Needs condensed to get across just what is at the heart of the author’s subject, argument, and approach.

First sentence is overly complex. First paragraph is choppy and does not get to the essay’s religious studies focus. Could cut the paragraph.

Review form requirements for punctuation before and after citations, long indented paragraphs, titles of articles/essays versus books, etc.

Sometimes, when mentioning scholar’s name, need also to know the name of the study from which the quoted material is taken, or something related to the scholar’s credentials.

Some redundancies.

Some problems with punctuation and diction, and numerous spelling issues.

A slash / means “or.” A hyphen - means combination or relationship between.

Web of life is also an indigenous concept. Ecofeminism cannot possibly be strictly a Western ideology, and certainly cannot be considered such given the more global and inclusive feminism after the predominantly white Western second wave. Good that the author gets to discussion of indigenous South decolonizing via pantheist thought and cultural orientation, though it is short. The idea there should also include more of the South globally (e.g., Africa and Australian indigenous thought) and global northern indigenous thinking.

What about the trinity that proceeded the Catholic patriarchal trinity? Moon phases—new, partial, full—and Great Goddess phases of life—maiden, mother, crone.

Why not citing Eppinger source directly?

Why is 1967 noted as the exact start of second-wave feminism? Began in at least the early 1960s.

Gaia adopted as a paradigm-shifting idea for “deconstructing binaristic dualistic” thinking—yes, definitely.

Pan is also sexual and is also bread, so is what we ingest to sustain us and what we engage as a fundamental highlight of life and the most basic assertion, affirmation, and continuance of ourselves.

Pandora means all gifts, by the way.

Section #3: Why not the “horror of pantheism” history discussion toward the beginning of this essay? The essay could be developed chronologically to offer a more coherent and cohesive understanding of the evolution of the concepts and their attendant ways of life, including the colonization, genocides, etc. with their ideological rationalizations, including the abuse of the earth, the other animals, and the people conceptualized as livestock (slaves). Dualistic mechanistic thinking—along with capitalism—led to these brutal perspectives and the equally brutal outcomes with which we are forced to continue to contend.

LGBTQ thought and even more specifically transgender perspectives are particularly significant, especially since fourth-wave feminism, in regard to the deconstruction of rigid binary beliefs.

Quantum physics—yes.

Is this the question for the whole essay? If so, shouldn’t it be at the front of the essay? “The question is whether ecofeminist theologies, despite their strong rejection of pantheism as such, could to some extent adopt … pluralist pantheism.” The author seems to suggest with this question that ecofeminists are not pantheists, but also discusses ecofeminist and other theologies whose way of thinking and being is pantheistic. I’m not sure what the central question and the thesis of this essay are.

The first sentence of the conclusion is clear and could come early in the essay. The rest of the conclusion seems Eurocentric and apologetic in its suggestion that pantheism is a legitimate way of thinking and believing. I wouldn’t use the terms “frontier” and “philosophical respectability,” the former being colonial diction and the latter echoing the enduring absurdities of racist and misogynist Western education that have long denigrated and rejected ecofeminist and indigenous belief systems. Why do that in this essay that purports to appreciate ecofeminist and pantheist thought?

I suggest offering throughout the essay some concrete examples of pantheistic thought and action—from ancient cultures through to today—that did or could make a more sustainable way of life. Isn’t that what all humans are up against, finding ways to think and be that will sustain rather than abuse and annihilate life? Isn’t that what’s driving this author to consider in this essay ways of thinking and being beyond the current violent dominant dualistic religious systems?

Please refer to comments left for the author.

Author Response

Thank you for all the comments and suggestions for improvement on this article. I consider all comments to be accurate and very helpful in improving the article. I have tried to follow and implement all the suggestions and I hope that I have succeeded and that the quality of the article is now better.

I have improved, rewritten and shortened the Abstract (5 – 26) and defined more clearly the main purpose of the paper, the main research question of the paper and the methods and approaches.
I have also completely rewrote the  Introduction (27 – 125) and Conclusion (570 – 639). Thank you for pointing out the Eurocentric and colonial terminology. I have completely rewritten the Conclusion.
I also clarified what pantheisem is or how it is understood in the paper. (in the Introduction)
I also corrected spelling and english typos.
I also corrected formatting problems – extended quotations (no quotation marks).

I also reviewed the formatting rules for punctuation before and after quotations, long indented paragraphs, titles of articles/essays vs. books, etc. and made the necessary corrections.
I also added three additional references in the bibliography (which I also included in the main text).

Note on "the web of life" - corrected in lines (163 - 169) - many thanks for pointing out that it is also an indigenous concept!

Note on the additional inclusion of alternative indigenous thought - I have added it in the "Conclusion" section - lines (593 - 639)

Note on the importance of LGBT and transgender views in deconstructing rigid binary ideas - added along with the suggestion to understand pan as sexual ... Lines (509-515).
I have also corrected the beginning of the second wave of feminism (early 1960s).
Thank you for your expertise and suggestions. I have included all corrections in the paper in the attachment.

Best regards,
Author